IF: Gathering (Local)

We had our first session with Beth Moore and the Believing God bible study this past Saturday. I went into the study not knowing much about the content. And I walked out of that study breathless. In a “God, I don’t know what you’re up to but its terrifying me” kind of way.

I am terrified y’all. TERRIFIED. Terrified to write this post. Terrified to hit the publish button. Terrified to see where God is going to lead this…

Back to Beth Moore and Believing God for a minute. In the first lesson she said something that I immediately wrote down and highlighted.

“My bride is paralyzed by unbelief.”

Let that sink in for a moment.

If we believe that God is who He says He is, the world should know us by our love. If we believe that God is who He says He is, mountains should be moving, lives should be turned inside out and upside down. If we believe that God is who He says He is, we should be stepping up, the first to step our toes in the Jordan River and see the river bed become dry. And since I KNOW my God is who He says He is, I know that He desires so much more for His church, His children, this life. The church has become stagnant, bored, divided, mediocre. All the things God never intended for the church to become. How are we showing the glory of His name? How are we sharing that His love is life-changing?

When IF: Gathering first announced their vision in June, I felt the hair on my arms rise. This was it, the undercurrent and pull I’d been feeling in my soul for some time. It excited me because I now knew that there were other women out there who felt the same stirring I was feeling. I was going to do my best to be in Austin in February. Wild horses wouldn’t have kept me away! I just knew I needed to be there!

There is a restlessness among the next generation of women, who fear more than anything – wasting their lives. We want to harness their hunger and passion by providing space to be equipped to pursue their God-given dreams.

The IF:Gathering is a fresh, deep, honest space for a new generation of women to wrestle with the essential question:

IF God is real… THEN what?

How do we live? How do we unify and dream for the name of Christ in our generation from our unique places? We are praying this will satisfy a longing to return to what is deep and simple and pure about life and faith.

Then IF: Gathering announced that they’re throwing open the doors to include a live webcast to allow women from all over the world to share in this two-day conference. And I knew this was a better answer. More of my friends would be able to gather, learn from the conference, from each other in a local setting than trying to attempt a weekend in Texas.

Then I thought, how great would it be to find a group of women who crave this as much as I do? I want to gather with like-minded women in THIS city, I want to spend a weekend praising God with them, learning alongside them, being inspired, and most importantly, having accountability and encouragement with those same women when life gets messy and hard and ugly. When we can stand in the gap and be strong for our friends when they’re feeling weak. I want to live life with these same women who want to passionately love and serve our Lord. I want to experience the church as God intended it. I want it now.

And so I come to you, Local Gathering.

Are you interested in doing this with me?

Are you willing to step into the unknown to help plan, to make it possible to gather these like-minded women?

I don’t know what it’ll look like. I have no clue. Will it be big? Or small? Will it be in a church setting? Or in a home? I have no idea. But I know there are other women out there who feel this same urgency and desire as I do. And I just want to make it possible for others to have the same opportunity to hear how God is moving and be inspired.

If you’re interested in attending or helping me plan, let me know! If you know me in real life, you can reach me via a private FB message. I’m also available through email (biggest_blessings (at) yahoo.com) or through leaving me a comment here. Just make sure I have a way to get in touch with you. And we’ll go from there…

During that same first session with Beth Moore and Believing God, she paused for a moment, looked at the camera, and said, “I’m going to pray that God works in a BIG way for you during the course of this study.” Since we meet every other week, we’re looking at 18 weeks to finish. As I started counting out the weeks on paper, I just knew what number I was going to end on. Sure enough, 18 weeks from the first study was the weekend of IF: Gathering. I remember blowing out my breath and saying to myself, “Ok, God. Let’s see what you’re up to!” Even if no more than five women gather in my basement, I know God will meet us there. I can’t wait!

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.

Believing God turned me inside out - almost as much as Breaking Free. I still think of it when falling back on fear anytime God asks me to do something. I love that you're stepping out in faith - He will honor that - no matter what!

About

Jenn in Munchkin Land

I’m a coffee drinking, book reading, laundry procrastinating, husband and children loving, mess of a woman who believes that chips and salsa can fix anything. We have chickens running around the backyard, a mountain of dishes in the sink, and on any given morning, I have at least 10 school forms that need my signature or initials. It’s a crazy life {I prefer to call it controlled chaos}, but its ours.